Top pick to snub Cubs

Pitcher Brownlie likely to re-enter draft in June

January 22, 2003|By Paul Sullivan, Tribune staff reporter.

The Cubs' courtship of first-round draft pick Bobby Brownlie is expected to end Wednesday after nearly eight months of fruitless negotiations.

Brownlie, a right-hander from Rutgers, is likely to re-enroll at the university and re-enter the amateur draft in June. The Cubs could select Brownlie again, though the sides appear to be no closer to an agreement than they were the day he was drafted, making that unlikely.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry traveled to Los Angeles on Monday to watch Brownlie pitch for three innings in a simulated game and to put on one last push for his services. But Brownlie, the 21st pick of the draft, reportedly is asking for $4 million, the same amount that the No. 1 pick, pitcher Bryan Bullinger, received from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Denard Span, an outfielder Minnesota chose at No. 20, signed for $1.7 million.

After going 16-4 in his first two seasons at Rutgers, Brownlie was regarded as a potential top-five pick in last summer's draft. But he suffered from tendinitis in his right shoulder during his junior season, prompting his free fall. Despite a subpar season and the fact that agent Scott Boras was acting as his adviser, the Cubs believed they could take a gamble on Brownlie at No. 21. Baseball America had rated Brownlie's fastball as the best among all college pitchers and his curveball second best.

Hendry declined to comment on his talks with Brownlie's family or Boras. The Cubs have a decent relationship with Boras, having signed two of his clients, Bobby Hill and Corey Patterson.

Hill and another Boras client, J.D. Drew, both opted not to sign with the teams that originally drafted them, re-entering the draft the following year. Drew did not accept Philadelphia's offer and eventually was drafted and signed by St. Louis, while Hill rejected the White Sox's offer and eventually wound up with the Cubs.

- The Cubs made two moves, signing former Seattle outfielder-infielder Charles Gipson to a minor-league contract and outrighting infielder Augie Ojeda to Triple-A Iowa. Gipson, 30, is a defensive specialist who often is used as a pinch-runner.